We live in a society in which our success and survival have a direct correlation with how self-confident we are or, at least, appear to be. Confident people are more employable than timid ones when it comes to the majority of job roles in contemporary society. Of course, people are often confident in some areas of their lives and not others. Here you can find tips and advice from David Reagan, an Atlanta-based fitness coach, that can help you if you’re a bit short on body confidence right now.
Regular Exercise
Making the time to exercise regularly isn’t just about staying physically healthy. There is a direct correlation between how much exercise a person does and how confident they feel about their body. You will feel better psychologically if you work on your body via regular exercise. What’s more, even if you don’t drop any weight, you will tone up and gain lean muscle mass. Having more lean muscle has a positive impact on your metabolism, thus providing you with more energy.
Less Social Media
One of the things that can cause your body confidence to deplete is too much exposure to the wrong kinds of media. For instance, spending too much time looking at the images of fitness models on Instagram or Pinterest, or perusing fashion magazines can easily lead to feelings of low self-worth. Be realistic and remind yourself that most of these are people whose careers depend on looking highly attractive. Plus, many of those attractive images are skillfully photoshopped.
Avoid Toxic People
When it comes to who is attractive and who is not, we all have our own subjective opinions. The problem is that many people have way too much to say about how other people should look. Avoid people who consistently feel the need to make negative remarks about the appearances of others. Being around such people too much can damage your self-esteem and make you second guess yourself. Bear in mind that these people are really saying more about their own personal insecurities than they are about you. Never let other insecure people dim your light.
Be Kind to Yourself
If you want to feel good about your body, you should be careful about negative self-talk. Negative self-talk can be just as damaging and toxic as hearing those same words from someone else, if not more so. Never tell yourself unkind things about your own body. Instead, consider how the parts of your body you are less happy with are still essential to your everyday life. For example, you may not particularly like the look of your arms but you’d soon miss them if you didn’t have any because they help you to accomplish almost every physical task you do in life.
Change Your Focus
Instead of looking at parts of your body you’re less pleased with and judging yourself harshly, it may help if you change your focus by deliberately thinking about what you do like. For example, suppose you have a soft middle and would sooner it be more toned, but your legs are long and muscular. Instead of despising your midriff, you’d be far better off appreciating those long, muscular legs.
Invest in Yourself
Making sure you look and feel well-groomed can also lead to feelings of increased self-esteem. Something as simple as having your haircut, buying a new outfit, or investing in a lovely fragrance can do a lot to make you feel good about your physical appearance again. If your wardrobe is a bit out of date or your hair could use a stylist, consider spending some money on your appearance if you can afford to do so.
Act Confident
If you behave assertively even when you aren’t feeling it, people will respond to you as though you have more confidence than you actually feel. If people respond to you more positively, your confidence may grow. Make sure you stand with good posture, smile at others, and make eye contact.
One Day at A Time
Simply reading the suggestions outlined in this article will not make you feel more self-assured about your physical appearance overnight. However, taking the time to implement some of the advice given here should certainly have positive results over time. Why not give some of them a go and see what happens? After all, everybody deserves to feel good about the way they look.